God's Blessings

God calls all of His children to serve Him and He supplies us all with varying gifts.  He calls each of us to proclaim His name, but some feel the call to do so full-time and in other countries.  God never promised that following Him would be easy.  In fact, quite the opposite, He said, “take up your cross and follow Me.”  Regardless of the capacity in which we serve Him, we will encounter struggles along the way.  For a missionary who takes up the charge to minister cross-culturally, I believe that God rewards them with a special kind of blessing for dealing with some of the challenges that accompany the calling.  Just like Laura Story’s song suggests, I believe that His blessings come through raindrops.  There are three particular blessings that I have seen to be a common thread among most missionaries.

A large hurdle that intimidates many cross-cultural workers is support raising.  Nobody wants to be that person asking for money.  Everyone has fears of scaring away their friends because the friend doesn’t want to hear about their need for funds.  It’s an uncomfortable place to be, but what an incredible blessing to see the way that God provides.  Then, when a missionary has reached full support and is living overseas and dependent upon their supporters to continue their ministry, there is a new understanding of stewardship.  God allows the missionary to have a whole new perspective.  When everything that you have has been given to you, you realize that you are merely a steward, not an owner.  When you have a normal job and “earn” your money, you buy the things that you want, you feel the sense of accomplishment and you feel entitlement to the things that you acquire.  As a missionary, you begin to better understand that everything we have is the Lord’s and that He allows us to use His things.

Another challenge that every missionary experiences is moving from one home to another.  Many missionaries don’t even know how to answer when someone asks them where they live or where they are from.  You can say that you have lots of homes, but it can also feel like you don’t have a home at all as you live in a constant state of displacement.  This too is a gift from God and again it is a gift of perspective.  It helps you to understand that you are a citizen, not of this world or any particular part of it, but you are first and foremost a citizen of heaven. 

Missionaries also learn to say a lot of “goodbyes”.  Every assignment, every furlough, and every return to the field comes with them.  There is usually an expectation of a reunion, but not always.  Anybody that has ever lost someone gets to experience this blessing, but missionaries have great opportunity to grasp this one on a deep level.  You learn to appreciate life and its brevity.  Our life is a gift that is only given to us for a season and it is ours to make the most of.  So too, other people’s lives are limited and the time that our life has to overlap with theirs is even more limited.  May God grant us the wisdom and the ability to number our days and to make the most of every encounter.

Being a missionary comes with its challenges, but God blesses His people even through the challenges.  Maybe the trials in this life really are His mercies in disguise.